Baby Daddy
by LeafyxThiefy
Summary: Keith and Shiro sitting in the tree, K-i-s-s-i-n-g! First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes baby in the baby carriage. Or so the rhyme goes, but what happens when the baby comes first? Two strangers are about to find out. Same concept as my OP fic: Strangers, but definitely not the same story!
1. Felicidades

**So, I've finally made it guys. I have ascended/descended (?) to the Voltron: LD Fandom and well, here I am with a huge thirst for Shiro and Kieth. I can't keep these feels to myself and I just needed to get this out so here goes.**

 **This idea I originally had for a different fandom, you can find the story in my other works titled Strangers, but that one is slightly different, same basic concept but not the same story I promise.**  
 **Anywho, there are no warnings at the moment, other than this was not Beta'ed beta read yes, but not edited, all mistakes are my own.**

 **And as always, just gonna say real quick, I own nothing in regards to Voltron or any other referenced media.**

 **Enjoy!~**

* * *

"I—Sir?" Shiro felt the weight of the world on his shoulders at the same time that he felt it being ripped away from just under him. The onslaught of emotions left him reeling with a dreadful sense of being pushed off of a ledge and plunging into the uncertain depths below; all the while the overbearing weight of… _everything_ was enclosing in on him, placing pressure on him with such a huge amount of force it was _suffocating_.

"Breathe, son." Shiro heard Iverson say, but he didn't really comprehend the meaning that came with the words.

Instead Shiro's mind continued its downward spiral into chaos. _How was this happening? Could it actually be possible?!_

Every thought inside his head was trying to make itself heard while at the same time his brain continued its attempts to shut down.

There was a sigh somewhere, and Shiro couldn't exactly rule himself off as the origin.

"Takashi."

The softness that came with his uttered name finally snapped Shiro out of his head and back into his body. Though the look of a deer struck by headlights was still on his face as Shiro looked to his superior officer. "But she—"

"We can run some new tests if you need us to, but that will not change the outcome." Iverson paused, and Shiro had a sneaking suspicion that Iverson would have apologized had the situation not involved others besides Shiro.

"I don't think that will be necessary… I just—can I see her, sir?" Even through the numbness, Shiro couldn't deny his curiosity, nor suppress the small sliver of hope in his tone.

Iverson's features softened in a way that Shiro had never seen; not even when the man had delivered the crushing news of Shiro's late parents.

Shiro wasn't sure if he was supposed to find the look he was being given as comforting or meet it with worry. Were it anyone else giving him that sympathetic look _and_ in a completely different scenario, Shiro would take solace in it. But as it stood, Iverson was only making Shiro's stomach coil in tighter on itself.

"I'll see what I can do." Was the gruff response the commanding officer offered. Shiro opened his mouth to protest, but was immediately silenced when Iverson rose a single hand.

"I know this isn't easy to hear, Takashi," Iverson sighed, lowering his hand as he leveled Shiro with his single eye.

"But I need you to be patient. As you can imagine such a matter is being handled behind the scenes and by those in higher ranks. They will call you in a day or so Takashi. Think carefully about how you'd like to proceed and when you decide on what you want to do, stand your ground."

Shiro could hear the unsaid words that lay just beneath the surface of Iverson's advice. Shiro wasn't supposed to be told of this quite yet, and Iverson had gone and disregarded whoever's commands he needed to to have this chat with him. So Shiro was given no choice but to sit back and sort out his feelings on the matter until it became official. He was given a heads up, and yet Shiro couldn't figure out if knowing was a blessing or a curse.

"If I may, sir." Shiro started, raising his head and unsure of just _what_ he should be feeling in the moment.

Iverson nodded, prompting him to ask whatever it was he had in mind.

"The mother, is she here?"

Shiro hadn't thought Iverson could look any more remorseful and yet he managed to do just that. "I advise you to take the rest of the day off Takashi, sort it out in your head and when the time comes you will meet her."

"But what about—"

"That is all I know, Takashi. There was no mother involved, just the child… Go home, clear your head."

Shiro nodded numbly, unable to do anything else.

* * *

Keith sighed as soon as he said goodbye and for the briefest of moments considered if it would make him feel better if he chucked his phone across the room and let it meet the all too solid brick wall. Maybe if a new phone wouldn't cost him an arm and a leg, Keith would have done it. But as it stood he barely had enough to cover his half of the rent, so adding a new phone to his list of expenses was probably not the smartest thing to do.

"I take it you didn't get it." Lance supplied from his spot on the couch, breaking the silence that the phone call left behind.

"Nope." Keith answered, slumping back into the couch and wishing that it would at least show him some mercy and swallow him up. "Same basic bull, don't have enough experience."

"Well they don't know what they're missing out on, so fuck them." Lance huffed and tossed up the stress ball he was playing with. "But you know I can cover this—"

"You already got all the utilities, man. I won't let you cover the rent too. Besides all you have left are your savings, and you and Allura have been planning this vacation for months." Keith interjected with a prominent frown. "I have enough to pay the rent this month, and my unemployment check is due in two days; so I'll be covered for when you're away. But that doesn't mean a job is gonna to find itself."

"Didn't your uncle say he needed some help at the shop, like, yesterday?" Lance mused, catching the ball and tossing it back up again.

"I don't think he actually needs help." Keith wrinkled his nose as he typed in his password, "Kolivan found out about the lab work and wasn't thrilled about it."

"Dude, the ad was sketchy _a la fregada._ I was actually surprised you went through with it." Lance countered.

Keith hunched his shoulders, opening up the search engine, "We were strapped for cash and three grand goes a long way."

Lance made a discontented noise in the back of his throat and Keith sighed, "It lasted us longer than I had initially thought, and that's what matters. It was either that or put school on hold in order to pay the bare necessities."

"How'd Kolivan find out anyway, the lab stuff happened like what? Two years ago?" Lance asked instead of continuing to argue–what was done was done after all.

"Eighteen months." Keith elaborated while scrolling through job ads.

"For whatever reason the lab decided they needed to contact me there instead of here. So they called up the shop, Kolivan was obviously on the clock so he answered as my guardian as if I wasn't old enough to get the call and they asked if I could go back to the lab this weekend. Next day he corners me in the shop and I had to tell him. _That_ was when he offered me the position at the shop." Keith frowned as he read the descriptions of the job listings, if they could even be called that.

Everything was either an internship or a leading director position. Neither one of which helped Keith, since internships were free labor and lead director was way out of his league.

Keith was about to click onto the next page when the stress ball Lance had been tossing into the air next to him went off course and bopped Keith on the head.

Not even a millisecond later Lance was the sole target of a menacing glare.

Though Lance held up his mock surrender, his smile spoke of the knowledge that he knew he was safe despite the threatening look Keith sent his way. Instead of apologizing, Lance asked "So, you going?"

Keith glowered for a few more seconds before shrugging. "I don't see why I should."

"Uh, maybe because these people might have the key of how humanity was made? Holy shit man, what if you're the missing link?!" Lance exclaims making Keith roll his eyes.

"I highly doubt that. Which one of us waxes from head to toe biweekly?"

"Dude," Lance laughed, "Point taken, but not everyone can be blessed with silky smooth skin like you! But in all seriousness, wasn't the test some kind of like wide network ancestry thing? What if they found something?"

"Like what?" Keith hummed skipping onto the next page on the website. "I just had one of those free clinic check ups last month, nothing out of the ordinary there."

"That's not what I meant Keith," Lance sounded oddly subdued and that caught Keith's attention enough to stop his skimming of a listing and look at his best friend as Lance pointedly looked to the ceiling. "I mean, there's a small possibility that they did discover something about you that the clinic didn't. But the project itself was like building a large family tree and maybe… you know?"

Keith could feel his brow furrowing, just as he could feel his lips forming a thin line. Then came the unmistakable feeling of heat curling in his gut and igniting the feeling of annoyance that was quick to turn to guarded anger.

" _Don't_." It was a warning, and Keith could see that Lance _knew_ this was dangerous territory, but his musing was there, clearly written in Lance's eyes.

"Keith." Lance tried, but Keith was already pushing off of the couch and towards the kitchen, as if placing distance between himself and Lance would make the unbidden thoughts leave his mind.

"Leave it alone, Lance." Hope for what Lance was suggesting was poisonous, Keith had learned that early on in life when he still believed his mother would return to him and his father. But as time went on and he lost his dad too, Keith locked away the hope and left it to sit and collect dust and hopefully rot away in the back of his heart.

"But there might be a chance," Lance pressed, no longer on the couch either and instead on the other side of the island that separated the living room from the kitchen. "Ke–"

" _Stop it_!" Keith cut him off, unable to have the conversation, one that he thought was long dead and gone. The subject of his mother was never one he liked to talk about and Lance knew this.

In all of the years that they had known each other, they had spoken about her all but thrice. Once when Lance inquired about his life. The second when Keith finally came clean about his abandonment and the issues that he dealt with because of that. And the third, during a drunk feels fest where he may have broken down and asked Lance why that had happened. But beyond that, the mother that Keith had had at some point never seemed to exist.

So why was he bringing her up now? Keith didn't know, and he didn't _want_ to think about it, he didn't even want to _entertain_ the idea that his mother even existed. She had left him, she _chose_ to leave Keith behind. If the scientists wanted to give him an update on her, then they could keep that discovery and shove it up their asses. If they thought that Keith wanted to know about any other family other than Kolivan and Lance, then they were wrong.

Whatever it was that Lance saw in Keith's expression was enough to make Lance's retort die in his throat and turn his expression into one of regret, eyes falling to the floor. "At least think about going because they might have found something else? What if they _did_ find something the clinic couldn't detect, just _think_ about it, okay?"

Keith hadn't even realized that his jaw was locked until that moment, his whole body was tense, poised to either fight or run, Keith wasn't really sure what he was going to fight exactly, Lance maybe? Or maybe just start throwing punches at the glassware until he lost that anger. Or maybe he was just going to bolt right out of their apartment and run as fast as he could until he was sure that the matter was as far away from him as possible.

He doesn't do either of those things though, instead Keith forces the tension to leave his body and lets his breaths even out. Running would solve nothing and hitting anything–even Lance–would prove nothing and just make Keith feel guilty once his senses came back to him.

But Lance is still looking at him expectantly, and for the sake of ending their standoff, Keith nodded. "I'll think about it." his voice felt rough, raw and unused even to his own ears and he inwardly flinched at it.

But it was enough for Lance who relaxes his shoulders and nods along with him. "That's all I ask _bello._ And, I'm sorry for pushing it… I just," he shrugs, "I was a little too excited for you, but if you need me to stay and go with you just say the words, alright?"

Keith wanted to give Lance a smile, even a small one for the gesture, albeit a little misguided and forceful; but that was Lance, quick to act and slow to think things through at times. But Keith couldn't manage the smile and instead nodded. "If I need you I'll call you."

Lance's smile was a shadow of his usual one, but there was still warmth in it as he leaned over the kitchen island. "I'm going to hold you to that, and I will be personally offended if you don't call me to tell me that they've discovered a cool new superhuman race and traced it back to you."

Keith's eyes swept upwards to that, though a small hint of a smile finally appeared on his lips.

* * *

Shiro didn't know what to expect when his phone rang, his screen read _Private ID_ as the caller. He would have thought the Garrison's name would appear at the very least, but he picked it up anyway.

He had not been prepared for the cordial words, nor the meeting that was scheduled to clear things up.

Shiro had spent the last three days trying to process what Iverson had told him, and try as he might, he just couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"Takashi?" Shiro nearly jumped out of his seat, startled to see his brother by his side.

"Sorry." Shiro immediately apologized and Ryou shook his head. "You haven't been yourself lately _aniki_ , wanna talk about it?"

Shiro worried at his lip and glanced at his phone as if it would come alive at any moment and take a bite out of him. "That was Quintessence Labs. They want me to come in later today to, well–talk."

Ryou nursed his cup of coffee, no doubt waiting for it to cool down considerably before he could drink it. "It's about damn time they called you." he mumbled and sighed.

"But this is a good sign isn't it?" Ryou ventured, "They're asking you to go in and you finally get to see her and–have you decided on a name yet, _aniki?"_

Shiro shook his head, "I have a few but I don't want to jump to any without seeing her first… Ryou?" his brother hummed in acknowledgement as he finally drank his cold coffee. "Could you come with me, please?"

"Of course I will." Ryou's smile was enough to calm the worst of Shiro's nerves and he couldn't thank his twin enough for that.

"Thank you, _niichan_."

* * *

Keith shifted his weight from one foot to the other as the elevator seemed to take its sweet ass time to get from ground zero to the thirtieth floor where he was instructed to meet a Doctor Ulaz for whatever it was they wanted him for.

Five floors to go, and Keith was not feeling any better about his decision to actually show up at Quintessence Labs again. Some part of him even wished that he had gotten up the nerve to ask Lance to stay behind and accompany him. But Keith knew that he couldn't do that to Lance, not when he flew out the night before for his and Allura's two year anniversary vacation.

The thought of asking Kolivan to come along with Keith had also crossed his mind before being dismissed. Keith hadn't wanted to bother his uncle with this, and Kolivan was still sullen over the fact that Keith had hidden this fact for him for so long. So Keith braced himself to face whatever it was as he always did, by himself.

As he thought this though, his phone buzzed in his pocket with an incoming message.

 _Animo Bello, you got this._

Another buzz. _Allura sends her love, call us when you're back home. And make sure to heat up your food!_

Keith was warmed by the texts, but the little smile they conjured up died on his lips when the automated bell rang and the elevator stopped; effectively causing Keith's stomach to plunge all the way down to the level five basement.

He swallowed thickly as the door slid open and beckoned Keith to leave the relative safety of the elevator.

"Mr. Kogane?"

Keith winced, trying to disguise a full on startle as he looked at the man that had seemingly materialized out of thin air. Recovering from the fright, Keith narrowed his eyes on the man before him.

There was nothing scary about him now that Keith was getting a closer look, he was pretty average looking for a doctor; his height was greater than Keith's easily by a foot, his dark hair was cut short and the faintest hint of a frohawk crowned his head. He was slim in build and all sharp angles in the face which did no kindness to his appearance. Keith wouldn't call him unattractive, but the hollowness to his cheeks was definitely not appealing.

Realizing that the man was looking on to Keith for confirmation, Keith hurried to nod. "Yeah."

"Ah good you got our message." the man said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "My name is Haxus, I am one of Dr. Ulaz's assistants. He asked me to come by and show you to his office. If you could follow me."

With no other choice but to follow after the lanky man, Keith trailed after him. Vaguely aware of the elevator door closing behind him and taking away his one chance to turn tail and run. Keith was there and there was no going back now.

Keith hadn't planned on listening to whatever it was that Haxus was saying, but a single term caused him to give this man his complete and utterly undivided attention. "We deeply _regret_ having to contact you out of the blue like this, Mr. Kogane." the man had said after thanking Keith for taking the time to answer their summons. Immediately Keith's walls went up, his posture getting tense as he waited for the rest of that sentence to hit him.

But such a revelation never came, at least not from Haxus himself. He didn't offer any explanation and it was on the tip of Keith's tongue to ask _why_ exactly it was regrettable that he was receiving news from them. Before he could have the chance to ask, however, Keith was shown to an unmarked door, where Haxus knocked a few times and was allowed entrance.

"Mr. Kogane has arrived." Haxus announced and stepped aside, letting Keith get a good look at the inside of the office and survey the people that were already inside.

The office was simple, minimalistic in terms of material and clutter, there was one window adjacent to the door, allowing a small bit of sunlight to illuminate the office. Opposite of the window was a wall to wall bookcase filled to the edge with books Keith could see were more than just of the medical genre. A potted plant sat proudly by the door, as did another by the window where it soaked up the sun. And right across the door was a desk where a man sat behind it, or rather stood as soon as Keith stepped in. The three chairs placed in front of the desk were not spaced out evenly and Keith itched to ask one of the two occupants of the other chairs if they wouldn't mind letting him fix that. Keith wouldn't necessarily call himself OCD, but there were certain things that calmed him at times, and having some items in order and aligned was one activity that helped him relax some.

"Thank you, Haxus. Mr. Kogane, thank you for coming." the deep voice that the man–Dr. Ulaz, Keith realized after a second–used was meant to be warm or at least inviting. But Keith could feel neither emotion, not even in the smile he was give as Ulaz breached the space between himself and Keith to hold his hand out in greeting.

Keith narrowed his eyes for a moment, trying and failing to place the man to the previous time that he had to visit the labs. Keith couldn't remember any of their faces, save for the head of the project: the lady with the platinum silver hair, though her name was nowhere to be found in his memory.

"Uh, yeah." Keith took the hand and shook it, not at all missing the strong grip that the other possessed. Like Haxus before him, Ulaz was even more far off from the image of a doctor or scientist. In fact if Keith had seen him out on the street, he would have pegged Ulaz to be more of a motorcycle enthusiast and probably own his own repair shop like his uncle. Keith also noticed that Ulaz held himself in a similar way to Kolivan. They both exuded a commanding air though Ulaz's effect was lessened considerably by the large unmanicured grayed eyebrows and the low cut mohawk that ran the length of his head. There were probably a mess of tattoo's under his sleeves as well, if the small peek of ink Keith had seen from earlier was any indication, he was even willing to bet that Ulaz had full on tattoo sleeves.

"I know this must be a little disconcerting, but if you would allow me a few moments of your time, I will let you know why you have been asked here today." Ulaz snapped Keith out of his observations and released his hand before motioning to the empty chair that stood off to the side of the other two occupied ones.

Keith made to move over to the seat when his eyes caught those of the other two attendants in the room. The first thing that Keith noticed was that they were practically the same person, _identical twins_ , his brain supplied helpfully. Though one of them was clearly more into body building than the other, he also had a skunk tail of all things adorning his head–not that Keith had any room to judge because of his mullet, as Lance was so fond of reminding Keith. Other than that and the scar skunk tail had running across his nose, Keith was seeing double. He was sure he made a face of confusion because it was returned to him two-fold by the twins, though before he could ask what was going on, Ulaz cleared his throat.

"I apologize for delaying this for so long, Mr. Shirogane, but as the matter also involves Mr. Kogane, we had to give him some time to arrive." Ulaz began as Keith too took his seat.

"Of course." one of the two spoke up, and call Keith crazy but there was a tense note to the voice of the speaker, Keith momentarily wondered if it was just his imagination conjuring it up, but a sideways glance proved him right. The twin with the white streak was noticeably more tense than his brother.

Keith was sure that Dr. Ulaz could see that as well, even though he didn't comment on it.

Ulaz took a deep breath and leaned forward on his desk to lace his fingers together as he regarded the two parties. "There is no easy way to say this gentlemen, but it is not something that we can keep to ourselves as it directly involves you both." the man took a breath, letting them take in what he had disclosed so far.

"Involves?" Keith echoed at the same time that one of the twins spoke up, "Both of them?"

Ulaz gave a curt nod. "It came to our attention that one of our members was taking a liberty that was never meant to be part of our project. Quintessence Labs was, as we have stated publicly, working on making a genetic library for future generations to be able to trace their ancestors as far back as possible. And in order to achieve those results, samples were needed.

"Mr. Kogane, your sample was volunteered when you signed up to a program of ours a little over eighteen months ago, and Mr. Shirogane your sample was–I'm sorry to say acquired without your consent. We are still tracing down this particular involvement in the investigation, but the heart of the matter is that one of our scientists was performing an unauthorized practice and as a direct result," Ulaz took a moment to flick his gaze between the twins and then those dark eyes were on Keith, most likely checking in to make make sure they were paying attention.

Keith was. How could he not when what this man was saying made so little sense and yet it managed to set Keith on edge in a way that made his skin crawl unpleasantly. He was barely aware of the shallowness of his breaths and how hard he was gripping the armrests of the chair that he was seated in. Was this about the woman that abandoned him? Keith spared a glance over to the people seated to his left and for the briefest of moments, his mind wandered down a dangerous path.

Was he about to be told that he was the twins brother or something? Was this some weird revelation to Keith that he was not alone, and any moment now cameras from one of those ridiculous mystery shows would be shoved in his face and expect a warm and fuzzy _family_ reunion?

"Mr. Kogane, do you need a moment?"

"I–no, no just…" _Get on with it._

Ulaz seemed to get what Keith wasn't directly saying, and nodded. "As a direct result, artificial life was created. And children were made. One of those children, Mr, Shirogane, Mr. Kogane; has your genetic make up, making her your biological child."

Keith could see Ulaz's lips moving, he could hear the words being spoken, but the comprehension that came with those words was nowhere to be found. The distinct sound of something creaking resounded within the room. However, Keith gave no signs of having heard it and instead tightened his grip on the protesting armrests even after his knuckles were white with the strain and his muscles were left shaking with the pressure.

Ulaz's mouth moved again, forming words and releasing them, but Keith couldn't hear over the roar of his blood rushing through his veins and the accelerated thumping of his heart. This couldn't be real? And yet, he _knew_ that look on his face, it was the same look that Kolivan had given him when his uncle assured Keith that his time in the foster care system was over, and that he was there. Ulaz was telling the truth, but how was it possible?

Keith swallowed harshly and before he could stop himself and gather his thoughts on the matter, he was asking. "Can I see her, please?"

* * *

 **And there you have it, first installment, to be fucking honest with you, this was written in like 2 days XD, I have more plans for this, and hope to actually finish this unlike my abandoned Strangers series.**

 **As you can see Lance is bilingual, his translations are (in case you need them):**  
 **a la fregada = to hell/to fuck**  
 **Bello = Beautiful, because Lance reminding Keith that he is a beautiful person is important**  
 **Animo = this one is like "keep your head up"**

 **Edit: May 15th 2018, I was kindly told that Shiro had a younger brother named Ryou in the Go Lion version of the series, so Kuron is now Ryou, for those that read this before the Update, Reiji is now Ryou. Thank you!~** **And yes, both Shiro and Ryou call each other "Big Brother" Shiro was born first, but he likes calling Ryou niichan instead of ototou. And I think this pretty much covers this chapter?**

 **Please feel free to come yell at me over this [Leafyxthiefy on tumblr], and any name suggestions for the baby are welcome ^^, thank you for reading.**


	2. Home

**Oh snap, so here we go, installment two because I am on a roll.**

 **A thing to note though, there are mentions of depression and I'm not sure if I should categorize mentioned human experimentation as a trigger, but just in case that makes you uncomfortable, well this fic has mentions of it. I'm not sure if it will play a _huge_ role, but yeah, be warned.**

 **Enjoy!~**

* * *

Shiro hadn't really known what to expect when the third person arrived. His first thought was to assume that the other–this Kogane person–was part of the researchers that brought this revelation to light. Thus, he was there to explain the situation to Shiro along with Dr. Ulaz.

The only reason Shiro didn't question his arrival was because he was supposed to be in the dark about the whole ordeal. It had already been hard enough to explain why Ryou was there with him–Shiro had to tell Ulaz that he was under a new medication that prohibited from driving, so his only form of transportation was his brother. Ulaz hadn't looked fooled, but he had left the matter alone and Shiro hadn't cared too much to see if his lie stuck.

What Shiro hadn't been expecting though was the new curve ball that was thrown in his direction. How was this matter concerning _both_ him and Kogane? Shiro's "contribution" had been explained to him by Iverson, but how did that fit in with the guy seated not even three feet away from him?

Without fully realizing it, Shiro was holding Ryou's hand tighter in his own as his eyes _really_ took in Kogane. He was young, if Shiro had to guess he would peg him for twenty-two, twenty-three at most, and from the small glimpses Shiro had had of him, Shiro could tell that he was attractive. But when he had first stepped into the room Shiro hadn't dwelled on any of those details, he had been more concerned about that fact that he was about to be told he was a father, and then ask to see his child. But now, with the discovery that this other guy's DNA had also been stolen… how was he also involved with Shiro's child? Was he a man as he portrayed? Did his kid not have a mother because Kogane identified as a male?

Or was Shiro just speculating too much and Kogane was actually the father of another child involved in the experimentation? Just how long had the project been running that they had managed to create not just one child, but a second one? How many more children were there?

Shiro's musings were interrupted though when Ulaz said something that completely derailed him.

"As a direct result, artificial life was created. And children were made. One of those children, Mr, Shirogane, Mr. Kogane; has _both_ your genetic make up, making her your biological child."

Shiro's head snapped back in Ulaz's direction so fast that he heard his neck crack in protest, a small flare of pain following quickly after before it was washed away by an array of emotions.

" _What?"_ Shiro hissed as his sluggish mind tried to make sense of what was being discussed. Shiro was no stranger to the advances of technology, his right arm was a testament to that. But to create artificial life? How was that even possible? And… his eyes turned to Ryou, who was equally as stunned, though there was no emotion on his face. Ryou was a blank slate and Shiro was sure that his own face was displaying all sorts of emotions.

But before he could properly process any of them, the other _other_ father spoke up, repeating the request Shiro had made to Iverson but was unable to have granted.

"Of course, Haxus is bringing her up now." Dr. Ulaz nodded and turned to Shiro, "At the moment I cannot reveal any of the names that were involved in the misguided act. But, I can assure you that the process has been stopped and there will be no continuation of this… project. Those who were still on premises have been apprehended and questioned. There were three children total, and luckily there were no more being… developed. The other children are being rehomed with their biological families, but our biggest concern was with your child; Mr. Shirogane, Mr. Kogane–" a knock at the door interrupted him and Ulaz sighed through his nose.

"Come in."

Shiro turned to see the door open and Haxus returned with a small body curled up against his chest. Shiro's neck protested the angle he held it in as he took in the sight of the other doctor and the bundle in his arms, but he ignored it, trying to catch a glimpse of the child he now had. A pink blanket decorated with simple lavender colored flowers was hiding most of his daughter, though, and blocking him from getting a good look at her. But as Shiro continued to look for a face to place to his new family member, he couldn't help but feel his heart stutter in his chest. There was an uneasy feeling washing over him and threatening to pull him under until he was unable to feel anything at all.

Shiro didn't move automatically, he was too paralyzed from the realization that he wasn't feeling… what exactly? Shiro wasn't sure _what_ he was supposed to be feeling at that moment. The problem was that Shiro wasn't feeling _anything_ in that moment. Shiro had _wanted_ to see her, that was still true, but… now that he was there, now that _she_ was there, he just _couldn't_ move.

Shiro's throat constricted painfully as he watched–motionless–Kogane reach for her. Shiro hadn't even seen him move. One second the man had been sitting off to Shiro's right, and the next he was magically teleported across the room and extending his arms towards Haxus.

* * *

Keith hadn't been listening to whatever else Dr. Ulaz was explaining, all he had needed to hear was the confirmation that he would get to see _her_ … Keith had to swallow. Was he truly a dad now? Keith's emotions were still all over the place and he really couldn't say that he was _happy_ per se. But he also wasn't infuriated by the news. Keith was a little surprised that he hadn't defaulted into anger at the situation, maybe once the numbness wore off he would be mad, but not at the kid.

Keith could honestly say that he had never seriously thought about being a father. With the mess of a family that he had, he wasn't sure what he would be able to do the whole father thing out of lack of experience and the fact that he had such huge walls up around his heart. Not to mention that the entire concept of a family was lost on Keith. While it was true that Keith now had an uncle and the entirety of the Rivera family that came with Lance, that didn't really make up for all the years that Keith had lived without a family of his own.

He had seen many families throughout his years in the foster care system, but Keith didn't want to be like them at all. He refused to be like Michael's father who was mean and self-destructive and went on alcohol fueled rages every other night. Nor did Keith want to be like Joana's father who was overzealous in religion while also being controlling and overbearing.

And it wasn't like Keith could draw any inspiration from his old man. From what little Keith _could_ remember, he had been okay but he wasn't there now, and there wasn't enough in Keith's opinion.

So no, Keith had never given serious thought to whether he would be a good father to someone one day. When the subject had been brought up a couple of times amongst his friends, Keith had only shrugged said he wasn't the father type and moved on. The only person he had given even the slightest amount of thought with had been with Lance when Keith had confessed he would be terrible at it. And when Lance had pressed him, Keith had told him that it was alot to consider, and that he didn't want to be someone's disappointment the way his family had been to him. So that had been the end of that.

All of the reservations that Keith had held at some point in his life to becoming a father were discarded the moment the door opened again and Haxus returned with a tiny bundle in his arms. Keith vaguely registered shoving the chair out of his way and closing the gap between himself and the murmuring child.

"May I?" The words were past Keith's lips without so much of a thought as he held his arms out expectantly. Now, Keith had absolutely _no_ practice in holding a baby, but he had once seen Lance's cousin Ana Luisa hold her newborn in a cradle position so that was a start.

Haxus looked at Keith's outstretched arms for a moment, but he didn't ask Keith how much experience he had with children, and instead handed over the squirming child.

Haxus' hands lingered for a moment longer than Keith would have normally appreciated, but as it was Keith was too caught up in the warmth that overtook him suddenly. The sensation began somewhere deep and long forgotten inside of him, filling Keith up in a matter of seconds as he looked into eyes of the little girl swaddled in his arms.

Her eyes were like his. Keith noticed with a start, unsure of why he thought they would be any other color. True, they weren't _exactly_ the same shade as his own, where Keith's eyes were a deep violet, hers were more like looking up at a starry night. The color was stuck in a perpetual transition between sunset violet and the beginnings of a starry night, right before night took over the sky. And to add onto the illusion, there were a few specs of gray caught within the iris, contrasting with the violet flare that rimmed the pupil.

Her hair too, was similar to Keith's. It was as dark as it came and though thicker than his, there was no mistaking the slight curling wave that it had, just like his own. The more Keith took her in, the more similarities he could pick out between her and himself; and then, she broke into a smile, an odd squealing sound coming from her as she then began to babble something animatedly.

The soft blanket that was draped around her and over Keith's arms was apparently loose enough that she was able to sneak her arms out and before Keith knew it, small pudgy hands were gently grabbing at his face. Keith was amazed at just how _small_ the hands were, and the warmth underneath the too soft skin, it was a texture that Keith had never felt before–and Lance moisturized religiously.

The corners of Keith's lips quirked up without his consent, though he couldn't find it in himself to care too much, if at all.

"Hey there cutie." Keith cooed–unknowing until that moment that he was, in fact, capable of cooing–and the baby smiled even wider. It wasn't until her hands pulled away from him and returned to her with the telltale shine of tears that Keith noticed he was crying.

Keith's mind was unable to grasp _why_ exactly he was being filled with such an overwhelming amount of emotions, it just didn't make sense. He should be distressed, _angry_ at the very least! But how could he when the little girl, _his_ little girl was smiling up to him like that.

Keith's hold on her tightened slightly, he was curling his body in a protective manner over her before he even knew what he was doing. Keith was operating on the unquestionable instinct to protect her, while remaining ever mindful of his strength.

"Excuse me?" A tender voice shattered Keith's momentary peace and slammed him back into reality, where he quickly realized that he was surrounded by other people.

The owner of the voice didn't let him dwell too long on the subject, however, because he followed up his interruption with, "May I hold her too?"

Keith's initial thought was to deny this man the privilege to hold his child before his brain oh so helpfully reminded Keith that the little girl was also fathered—somehow—by the man asking to hold her. Keith fixed his eyes on the stranger before him, craning his neck in order to _really_ see who he would be entrusting his baby to.

Keith was aware that Shirogane was as much her father as he was, just as he was sure that Dr. Ulaz had explained some of the details while Keith lost himself in his own mind. But honestly, Keith hadn't cared about the _how's_ in that moment, he had been more concerned over the burning question of: _what happens now?_

But that was still to be discussed, Keith guessed.

At that moment Keith had a choice to make, and the guy in front of him was waiting for an answer. Keith had to blink his eyes for a few moments to force the tears out of his vision and let him get a better look at Shirogane. Keith surveyed him silently, the smile that Keith had gained while holding the child dissolved and thinned out into a hard line as he took in the other dad. His shoulders were broader than Keith had first thought, and not only that; the man wasn't just broad, he was _huge_ in terms of body mass. Shirogane was built with muscles Greek gods would be jealous of, and on top of that he was even heavenly gifted in height, easily towering a head and a half over Keith.

But even from that angle, Keith was able to discern a single feature that made up his mind. Right above the healed pink scar that ran across the bridge of Shirogane's nose, there was a pair of pale eyes looking back at him.

Gray eyes. Keith's mind supplied.

And it was because of those eyes and nothing else, that Keith was able to entrust his daughter to him. Father or not, Keith didn't know him and that bit of information set him on edge. But with a nod of compliance, Keith relinquished his little bundle of joy into the awaiting arms of her other father.

So, Sirogane was the reason that she didn't have violet eyes like his.

* * *

Shiro wasn't sure what to expect when he looked at the man who was holding his daughter as if she was the most precious thing in the world. Shiro _knew_ that he had to be feeling that same elation that lit up Kogane's face, but… Shiro was coming up completely empty.

Shiro was still seated in his chair as Kogane whispered to his child.

 _I should be there too._ Shiro thought to himself dimly. And yet, he remained frozen and glued to the chair under him. _What is wrong with me?_ Why was Shiro feeling nothing but a growing sense of detachment?

Shiro _should_ be over the moon with unquestionable joy. He should be right there, along with this other stranger and taking some sort of _exhilaration_ from seeing someone who was as much his kin as Ryou was. Shiro had a daughter, and she was real—Shiro had had his doubts, but there was no denying it now, she was as much his as she was Kogane's. So why was he not making a move to get to her too?

" _Aniki_?" A firm hand at his shoulder pulled Shiro out of his spiraling thoughts and back to the present where he blinked at a very concerned Ryou's.

"I'm fine." Shiro stated in a hurry, trying his best at a smile and failing by the look of the frown that was given for his efforts.

"Go see her," was all his brother said in return and Shiro nodded, somehow managing to make himself peel away from the chair and take a stand.

His movements were slow and lethargic to Shiro, but eventually he was standing beside the other man who held his daughter in such a tender and loving way that Shiro was actually considering a swift retreat. Shiro had to see this meeting through though, otherwise he would be nothing but a coward.

That startling revelation was enough to shock Shiro back to his senses. He blinked slowly as the all-encompassing fog in his mind began to ebb away. What would his dad say if he saw Shiro so unwilling to approach his own child? And his mother, would she be disappointed in him? Shiro could feel a rush of emotions now, though he was unsure of which one he had to focus on.

In the end, shame was the most prominent, his parents would be nothing but thrilled of the prospect of having a grandchild. And Shiro knew that he should be feeling that same emotion, hell even a tiny sliver of it, but happiness and joy were not in his current array of emotions. No matter how much Shiro wished that he was feeling _some_ sort of mirth, he just… it wasn't there and that scared the hell out of Shiro. His emotions were running rampant in his heavily pounding heart as he was unable to figure out why he was filled with such an insane amount of trepidation.

 _At least now I'm feeling something_. Shiro thought apathetically and pressed his lips together before trying to get the other man's attention.

"Excuse me?" Shiro instantly regretted speaking when Kogane spun to look at Shiro with such a fierce and intent look in his eyes that spoke volumes of it's warning despite the tears that welled in them.

 _I will protect her_. They threatened to whatever unlucky soul who looked into them, and Shiro didn't dare think Kogane wouldn't act on the promise.

Shiro would have taken a step back too, that is if he was able to move his legs in that moment. But as he had long ago learned, life wasn't always so merciful. Besides Shiro had gotten this far, he didn't want to give in just yet. It didn't matter what fucked up feelings were plaguing him in that moment, Shiro told himself it didn't change the fact that he _did_ want to hold his daughter. And, some part of him hoped, that perhaps holding her would finally make that last switch in his mind click and that _wrongness_ that was settling inside his heart would be gone.

"May I hold her too?"

Shiro could _feel_ just as he could see Kogane size him up, and for a moment Shiro was terrified that his simple request would once again be denied. He was starting to think that Kogane could see Shiro's lack of happiness over the situation and keep him from holding his daughter.

But after a torturously long pause, Kogane eased the little girl into his arms.

Tears gathered in Shiro's gaze as well as he looked down at the baby in his arms. She was perfect, his mind supplied as Shiro took her in. Her eyes weren't like his, or a nearly black like Ryou's. Instead, they were the early beginnings of the night sky with a mixture of violets and a blue so dark it was almost black. His daughter was a beautiful, with soft curls any Disney princess would be jealous of and skin so fair Shiro could see some of the tiny veins underneath. And yet, the sight of her didn't move him with any semblance of pride, much less warm him the way he thought he should be once seeing her.

The smile she had had while she was being held by Kogane began to disappear the moment Shiro's fallen tears were soaked up by the blanket. It only took a matter of seconds after that for the baby's lips to begin quivering and twisting unhappily before she opened her mouth to cry and Shiro's heart shrunk in on itself.

Had Shiro been paying attention to the rest of his surroundings, he would have noticed Kogane's hands twitch at his sides when she began to cry. But Shiro was was too focused on the fact that his own child recognized what he himself was denying to accept. The unconditional love that was supposed to bloom in his chest and pour into his very soul was missing.

Shiro was more floored now than never before, and the feeling of shame and guilt came at him with a renewed vengeance until he was unable to feel anything beyond those two emotions.

His daughter continued to cry in his arms, her small hands forming little fists while her legs kicked out in her discontent as if she was trying to get away. _She probably is_. Shiro thought in dismay and with a heavy heart returned her to Kogane's hands with a strained smile. "Looks like you win as the favorite dad."

There was concern in the man's eyes, but Shiro didn't look to far into it and instead watched as his daughter began to calm down the moment she was away from him.

It hurt Shiro in a way that he never thought he _could_ hurt. Shiro had known many injuries in his short term at life, but none of those experiences could ever compare to the rejection he felt at that moment.

* * *

Keith had wanted nothing more than to take his daughter back the second that she started to cry out in the other's arms. And he probably would have if he didn't know that he was also her dad. She just needed to adjust to the new hands, he told himself, maybe the prosthetic was a little cold and that had startled her.

Even though it pained him to see his kid in obvious discontent, Keith knew that he shouldn't make a huge fuss over it, both parents were important. When he was given their child back though, Keith was surprised. However, the words along with the smile he was offered ignited the one emotion he hadn't thought would be presenting itself: anger.

Keith rocked the girl in his arms as his eyes burned into Shirogane's eyes. "There are _no_ favorites."

Keith had kept his voice low for the sake of the baby in his arms, but there was no less ice in it as he briskly walked away from Shirogane and sat back in the chair he had occupied not even minutes ago.

"So, now what?" Keith wasted no time in asking the one question that had been in his mind since Dr. Ulaz had started the meeting.

Dr. Ulaz looked from Keith to Shirogane behind them and sighed. "What happens next, of course, depends on you both, Mr. Kogane, Mr. Shirogane. As I was saying before, out of the three children _created_ by the indiscretion of one of our faculty members, your child was of special concern. She isn't ill or underdeveloped in any way, let me assure you. But, she is the only child who was made through samples of two males as opposed to the others."

Keith heard more than saw when Shirogane reclaimed his seat, it was hard for him to mask the heavy way he sat down in a room filled with silence in between Ulaz's pauses.

"The department was reluctant to let her go, as you can imagine." Ulaz continued and Keith held his daughter even more securely, his eyes narrowing dangerously on the doctor. Keith wasn't above making a run for it, yes the door would be tricky to get through and Haxus was tall and broad, but Keith had taken down guys bigger than him half intoxicated. The building was high, but he was sure he could clear three flights of stairs easily, the next twenty-seven would be a challenge, but Keith would be damned if he didn't at least try.

"However, because the project was understandably discontinued, and as a code of moral ethics, you both were contacted. What happens next depends on you, Mr. Kogane, Mr. Shirogane." Ulaz made sure to meet Keith's gaze, and presumably Shirogane's.

"There are two choices available to you. The first being the obvious: the child is registered as if she was brought to this world as any other children is, and adoption papers will be arranged. That being said, the second option will of course be foster care–"

"Why would that even be an option?" Keith was unable to hold himself back from interrupting any longer, "Don't say that like if she was some sort of kitten we just found on the street and were _maybe_ deciding on bringing her home or not. She's a kid, a baby–" Keith cuts off as he looks down when he feels a small warm hand curling around his finger and his throat threatens to close again.

"She's my daughter, of course she's coming home. So start the paperwork already." Keith managed to say with a steadier voice than he should have, considering how emotional he was being at the moment. But quite frankly, he couldn't have it in himself to care, he just wanted to get his daughter away from the people who saw her as nothing more than a successful project, and home where he could start to figure out his next step.

Whether Dr. Ulaz was bothered by being interrupted by Keith or not, he didn't show it. Instead he nodded. "Very well, I will have the adoption papers drawn up for you, Mr. Kogane."

There was a pause and Keith began to feel the irritation again as the doctor pointedly looked away from Keith and to the man seated to his left, "And you, Mr. Shirogane, will you also want custody of the child?"

* * *

 **Alrighty! So I finally have a name for our little girl here ^^ expect that and Shiro's answer in the next chapter.**

 **Also I forgot to mention... I know Lance's fanon hc for a last name is "McClain" but? why are we giving a known Cuban/Hispanic character a Scottish origin based surname? It just doesn't compute imo so yeah, Rivera family not McClain.**

 **So like, any of you want to send a review this way and donate to the "Help keep Authors Motivated foundation"? Remember, with a few words of encouragement per chapter, you can contribute to an author's will to write. Favorites and Follows are cool, but c'mon, help a girl out?**

 **Till next time!~**


	3. Decision

**Enjoy!~**

* * *

Shiro managed to stop his flinch in time when he was singled out by Ulaz, but still he was not as prepared as Kogane was when it came to the decision that was presented before him.

"I understand that it is a lot to take in, Mr. Shirogane, but we cannot delay matters. A decision must be made." Ulaz stressed after a few beats of silence and Shiro's guilt burned even more at his soul. He knew that he should be feeling the same burning conviction as Kogane, she was his _daughter_ for crying out loud! Shiro couldn't let her slip away just because he was having trouble sorting out his feelings.

"Yes, of course, I'm sorry. I think I'm still… I'm sorry, I would like to be part of her life as well." Shiro's words sounded weak even to his own ears; and it was only his brother's silent presence next to Shiro that kept him from completely losing himself to the building sense of shame.

Ulaz said nothing to Shiro's apologies and instead nodded in what appeared to be quiet understanding. "I will go get the paperwork for you to review, please excuse me."

The doctor stood and Shiro slumped in his seat, listening to the man shuffle out of the office and close the door behind him.

"Tashi, are you sure you're alright?" Ryou sounded worried, and really Shiro couldn't blame him. Shiro was acting completely out of character, he was wired with tense energy and drained all at once and the overwhelming urge to just… wallow in his misery was _so_ appealing to him at the moment.

"I honestly don't know, _niichan."_ Shiro whispered in return, "But I know what I want to do… I just need some more time to process all of this."

His brother didn't look at all convinced, and though Shiro tried to give him a reassuring smile, Ryou continued to look troubled. But his brother soon relented and squeezed Shiro's shoulder in reassurance, "Of course, _aniki."_

"I'm sorry, excuse me." Ryou looked past Shiro and to the man who was so engrossed with the little girl he seemed to not even notice they were seated in the same room. "Would you mind if I held my niece for a few minutes?"

Kogane was less startled this time, though Shiro noticed that he was still reluctant to give up his hold on her that easily. The same scrutiny that Shiro had been subjected to was passed onto his brother next, but it didn't last as long as Shiro's own visual interrogation. Or so he thought, time perception wasn't exactly on friendly terms with Shiro at the moment.

"Sure." Kogane finally murmured and untangled his finger from the small girl's grasp while he stood and walked over to where Ryou and Shiro were seated.

Shiro could feel the excited energy that was rolling off of his brother as he happily opened his arms, waiting as patiently as he could before he could meet his niece. And Shiro couldn't help the annoying pang of jealousy that speared his heart. Because Ryou was the exact image of what Shiro _should_ have looked like when he went to hold his daughter for the first time. But instead he had been left floundering and unable to enjoy a second of it.

" _Aniki_!" Ryou wrenched Shiro's earlier flinch out of him with his exited call.

"She looks just like you, you know if you were this small and still had all your baby fat." Ryou chuckled softly and looked up to Kogane, "I mean, she looks like you too man, and I–oh damn. I think we should have introduced ourselves by now huh? Sorry about that, between the news and all that names were the last thing on our minds. My name's Ryou and my more attractive half over here is Takashi."

Shiro was too enraptured in the fact that his daughter was easily falling asleep in Ryou's arms to listen to everything that his brother was saying. And the more he watched them both, the more the inkling of jealousy aimed at his twin ate at him until it shook him down to the very core. She prefered Ryou over him. Shiro would be lying if he said that he wasn't hurt by that revelation, but for the sake of his brother, he tore his eyes away from his arms and smiled briefly to the man he had just been introduced to.

"Please, call me Shiro."

Kogane's look was puzzled but he nodded all the same. "Yeah, okay sure. I'm Keith, no nickname… and um thanks?" the gratitude was aimed at Ryou and for a second both twins looked lost, before Koga–Keith–elaborated.

"For saying she looks like me?" he offered, and Ryou broke out in a smile.

"No thanks needed Keith, I was just stating the obvious, it's kinda weird though, that she looks like a perfect blend of you both, but I mean _some_ babies do that right?"

"I guess so?" Keith offered with a shrug and looked to where the door was behind them.

Ryou left the matter at that and went back to looking at the baby in his arms, but Shiro was left with looking at _anything_ but his child. Unfortunately that move was met by a very prominent frown from Keith.

Shiro swallowed harshly and looked away, though those intense eyes continued to burn into the side of his face until he was compelled to look in his direction again. Part of Shiro wasn't surprised at all to find those eyes still trained in his direction.

"You need to choose if you want her in your life." there was no other way to describe Keith's words other than a low growl.

"I'm sorry, wha–" Shiro didn't even get to finish his question before he was cut off.

"I don't know what you're feeling Shiro, and I can't speak for you. But the sooner you sort it out the better. If your heart isn't into raising her, and you decide to go on your own marry way and leave her behind, I rather you do it now. Cuz if you do that _after_ you sign the papers, I will personally hunt you down and bring you back." Keith was threatening Shiro, and there was no doubt in his mind that it was as much a warning as it was a promise. Keith looked small and pretty scrawny, but in that moment, Shiro didn't dare to think that Keith wouldn't make good on that vow.

"Woah, slow down there." Ryou interjected before Shiro could even open his mouth but Keith's heated glare remained on Shiro.

"Shiro's just in shock okay, family is very important to us, and of course we're going to be here for her." Ryou added on wanting to diffuse the situation that was before him.

"That's not what that hesitation said." Keith quipped back, and then to Shiro he added, "You're either in or you're out, there is no in between."

* * *

Keith didn't care if he was being fair to Shiro or not. As far as Keith was concerned, Shiro's feelings were the least of his worries. His daughter was his priority now, and Keith would be damned if he let his daughter fall down the same dark hole he did when he could personally see to it that it didn't happen.

Shiro didn't have to stay if he didn't want to and though Keith knew all too well that kids needed both parents in their lives, he also knew that having an uncommitted parent was nothing but an inconvenience in the end. If Keith had to, he would raise her on his own as a single but _present_ parent. Keith wouldn't run away from her, nor would he neglect himself to the point of incurable illness like his parents. Keith would be there for her, no matter what it took.

And it was with that resolution in mind that Keith gave Shiro an ultimatum, and there was no going back once he agreed to raise her. Keith could see the uncertainty in his gray eyes as Shiro weighed his options, but just as he opened his mouth to meet Keith's challenge so did the door across the room Ulaz strode back inside.

"I apologize for the wait, someone didn't replace the toner after they used the machine so I had to wait for it to be replaced. But since I was already there, I took the liberty of making copies of the reports. These of course lack all classified information." Ulaz rounded to his side of the desk and Keith took his seat again. He had decided that he needed both his hands for the next step in the process, even though he was already missing the warmth in his arms.

"In these documents you can find the date of your child's birth; blood type, weight, and overall progress. Additional to that you can review the immunization records and paternity tests at your leisure. The latter of course is to remain confidential… that being said, I need you both to understand that while all of us here are aware of her legitimate parents—unless custody is renounced before the deadline specified on the documents in your hands. O _n paper_ it will state otherwise. The papers you are about to sign will say something entirely different for one of you. To everyone not aware of the ongoings here, oneof you will be the adoptive parent while the other will be assigned as the biological father."

Keith's eyes narrowed at the news being presented to them as annoyance began to make itself known. "That's _not_ what you said earlier, you said that we would both be signing this as a _joint_ adoption."

Ulaz held up a single hand and it took everything Keith had in him not to growl back in response. "I know what I said, Mr. Kogane. But I need you to listen to me now, as I tell you that our next step will have one of you named as the adoptive parent, while the other will sign as the biological parent. And before I am interrupted again." Ulaz looked pointedly at Keith who only glared back at him.

"I apologize for not being straightforward with you before, but it was a necessary evil since I wanted to make sure that you were both willing to be the adoptive parent on paper. And now that I have that answer we can proceed onto the next step. As you both are aware, this is a very delicate situation. In the unlikely, but possible, event that your daughter is in need of a blood transfusion, or medical lab work, or _someone_ questions why she happens to look like the adoptive parents; there needs to be a link back towards parentage."

Ulaz paused to let that sink in, and though Keith didn't appreciate being misled, he had to admit–albeit begrudgingly–that the doctor had a point.

"So then how is that position decided?" Keith was surprised that Shiro asked the question before he had the chance to.

"I mentioned blood transfusion for a reason, Mr. Shirogane." Ulaz sounded tired by that point, though no less in command of the conversation. Nevertheless, Ulaz continued to explain to the three men. "The reason behind that is because the child shares her blood type with only one of you."

Keith furrowed his brow as he looked over the report he had been given in order to search out the section containing that particular source of information.

 _O Negative._

Keith was AB positive, which basically meant that he could receive blood from _any_ donor _._ But he could not give it to someone who was O negative, much less be the father to someone of that blood type. Keith could already feel the edges of his mouth pulling down into a scowl as two realizations settled in his mind. Though instead of voicing his displeasure of not being the on paper dad, he settled on stating his other concern, "This shouldn't be possible."

"No, it shouldn't." Dr. Ulaz agreed.

"All scientific laws state that a parent with AB blood will pass down that same gene down to their children in either A, B, or AB. Thus, in order for a child to have type O, both parents are required to have O blood type. But your child was not created through… excuse my terminology, _natural_ means. So it isn't _entirely_ surprising that she managed to defy many of the laws we know, and as such she bypassed the blood rule. Though I must assure you," Ulaz's features softened some as he looked at Keith.

"Although she does not share your blood type, she was created not only using your chromosomes but also your quintessence, her genetic makeup will always speak of her ties to you as her parent. Regrettably, I am not in the liberty of releasing the full report to you, but what you have in your hands does give you enough information to relieve any doubt about her being your child." As Ulaz explained this, Keith continued to read the sheets provided to him, until sure enough he reached the page where his name was.

 _Keith Kogane, 24, Male… first donor towards the creation of Subject #017…_ Keith felt his stomach drop. Just how many children had these people tried to make?And how many more would they have attempted at if they hadn't been discovered? Had there been more children made with his DNA?

"Why are you doing this?" Keith was unable to hold himself back from blurting out, his hands tightening on the report in his hands and ensuring the pages would never be flat again.

"I am informing you of—"

"Not that!" Keith's anger had finally pushed to the surface, " _This! Her!"_ Keith gestured to the papers and then to the sleeping child in Ryou's arms.

"You've stressed the secrecy of this so called project so many times. You're telling us the _bare_ minimum here and while I don't doubt that she is my daughter, I just—it doesn't make sense! As illegal and _wrong_ as this all is, you didn't _have_ to tell us jack shit. So then why? Is all of this part of the experiment too? Add the parents into the mix and spend the next ten years studying them before you take her away?"

Keith was off his chair and hands on the desk before he even knew what he was doing, the report suffering further in his grasp. "Cuz if that's what your plan is, you better rethink it now." Keith was full on threatening the doctor before him, and the man before him hadn't so much as flinched under Keith's gaze.

* * *

The fierceness that suddenly overtook Keith was a surprise to Shiro. Even though he had been subjected to the same fiery scowl and narrowed eyes earlier, this was something completely different. The display both warmed and scared Shiro, not because he feared Keith, far beyond that actually. Shiro respected Keith for being quick to catch something that Shiro hadn't even considered. But his reaction made Shiro even more repulsed with himself, because he should be as equally suspicious and just as protective of the little girl in Ryou's arms. He should care more about the situation brewing around him. But he just couldn't muster up the same protective streak Keith was displaying.

If anyone had threatened to take Ryou away from him in the way Keith was insinuating they would do with his daughter, Shiro would be furious and just as protective of his younger brother. So then why was he not doing anything? Why was Shiro so indifferent to what was happening around him?!

"Mr. Kogane." Ulaz's impeccably calm voice seized Shiro's attention and turned him in his direction as well.

" _Keith,_ call me Keith; no more of that Mr. Kogane bullshit!" Keith raged on, "Actually, cut every single line of bullshit from your speech and just spare us all your fancy words. You said that she was _one_ of _three_ successfully made children at this facility, and the _only_ one to have been made from two dudes. I've seen enough sci-fi movies with my idiot of a roommate to know that she is someone you scientists would gladly dissect. So then _why_ are you bringing us into this?"

If Shiro hadn't been stunned before, he definitely was now. Though what Keith was saying may have—under a different circumstance—sounded farfetched and impossible, the truth in his words was hard to deny. Shiro had just been too slow to pick up on it, but a glance in Ryou's direction told him that his brother had the same questions in mind. All three of them had a reason to be suspicious of the approach the lab was taking. _Why_ were they choosing to involve Shiro and Keith, what did they have to gain from that move exactly?

"Because there are boundaries which should never be crossed." Ulaz stated simply, and only then did Shiro see the doctors shoulders sag in defeat.

"I know it sounds like a manufactured lie. But what we are discussing is the truth, there is no hidden agenda. The department head of Quintessence Lab's Bioengineering unit was mad, she began to conduct experiments on people a few years ago. Fortunately, they were volunteers; but that was the first few candidates, and then it escalated onto children. She managed to pass off her sample collecting to other projects, such as the one you signed up for Keith; but you know what they say: the truth always manages to come to light.

"As a direct result, the bioengineering unit is being shut down while the Garrison probes further into the matter. Haxus and I, along with another handful of staff are the only remaining members of the department after their sweep. We were questioned and cleared on the worst of the offences, but that doesn't mean we get to keep our job, rather a lesser sentence. But after that, the other staff members and I spoke with the Garrison and we mutually agreed that it was in each child's best interest to be united with their families. There is no ulterior motive, believe me. If there was, we'd be asking for regular checkups and making you sign contracts instead of legal custody."

"Fair point." Ryou muttered, though he looked about as pleased about the situation as Keith did, and Shiro could honestly not blame them for their varying degrees of hostility and suspicion.

"And we're just supposed to believe that?" Keith quipped back, relentless.

"I don't expect you to just take my word for it, no." Ulaz bridged his fingers once more. "But I do hope you come to accept it for the truth that it is."

"If this is the truth, then why are you still keeping half this shit classified then?" Keith was relentless in his search and Shiro was left with a sense of admiration for the man.

"Because the less that you know, the better it is for the girl."

"Oh c'mon–"

"I believe him." Shiro said, not really meaning to cut Keith off, but unable to keep his opinion from being voiced.

However, the opinion did him no favors when Keith whirled on him and pinned him down with burning violet eyes.

But before Keith could snap at Shiro next, he added. "You said it yourself, they _could've_ kept her for all of the reasons you said. Dr. Ulaz didn't need to reach out to us, but he _did_. Besides…" Shiro worried at his lip and after a second he decided that secrecy was the least of his worries.

"Ulaz was the one to reveal the project to the Garrison. He's also the one who tracked us down, so yeah, I believe him."

His words caught Ulaz's attention, and Shiro merely shrugged. "Word gets out fast amongst the higher ups. And it wasn't like they mentioned you by name but your surprise tells me that I was dead on, right?"

Ulaz didn't nod, but he also didn't deny Shiro's words and instead turned back to Keith who was beginning to even out his breathing and unroll the tension from his shoulders. "The less information you have on the process is better for everyone involved. We hope that what was done here is never repeated, so all extensive reports were destroyed and the files on the experiment corrupted. You are right to have little trust in us, but we have taken every preemptive available to us in order to make sure that this can never happen again."

Keith looked less than convinced, and even Ryou huffed in discontent. But for the moment, it seemed to be enough and Keith finally yielded, returning to his seat.

"Fine. But what I said earlier still stands, she won't be taken from her family not by force and definitely not by choice."

A smile was sent Keith's way. "Of course. So now that we're in agreement. We can go over the documents, give you some time to ponder on the name and reconvene for signing."

Shiro honestly tried to listen to everything being explained to him by Haxus. The words that the doctor said did make sense, but at the end of the day, Shiro was even more lost than before. And as they shook Ulaz's hands again, Shiro realized that the mutual territory he had found himself on with Keith was about to be shattered, and he had a decision to make.

Right after their parting words, Keith had reclaimed his daughter in his arms and was resting her head on his shoulder when Ulaz caught up to them by the elevator and pressed a sealed envelope into Shiro's hands. "Our funding was decimated three days ago, but we were able to pool together what remained of the budget. And while we know that this fixes nothing, some of the parents on the team hinted that this would be of more use to you than any government project; be it for baby supplies or to kick off a college fund."

Perplexed and completely at a loss for words, all Shiro could do was nod as the elevator chimed softly behind them and the three of them stepped in.

The first few floors on their way down were filled with a tense silence that had Shiro's skin crawling until Keith broke it. "So, do you live far from here?"

"Huh?" Shiro could feel his confusion twisting up his features and that earned him a scowl from the shorter man.

"I live about 40 minutes from here walking distance, I brought my bike but," He shrugged his unoccupied shoulder. "not really prepared with a baby seat."

Probably sensing Shiro's discomfort, Ryou picked up the conversation. "So you live in Daibazaal? That's cool, we have a friend that lives in the city, too. _Aniki_ and I both live in Arus, so it might be easier if we head back to your place; I mean if it's okay with you, and since we were… you know given a heads up we picked up a car seat on the way."

Keith mulled over the information given to him, his lips forming a thin line before he nodded. "I don't mind."

The elevator chimed again, notifying them that they had reached the basement garage. "So which one's your car?" Keith asked as soon as they stepped out.

"The white sedan over there, I take it that's your bike?" Shiro followed his brother's gaze where a sleek silver and red motorcycle was parked, the body accentuated here and there in ink black. It was a strange feeling, but Shiro had a feeling that if Keith could reinvent himself as machinery, then that bike might as well be him.

Shiro pulled his eyes away from the bike after taking note of the matching helmet and glanced down at Keith who looked over to the bike with a soft fondness to his features. "Hm, yeah. She's an '09 Honda Shadow Phantom, I've been working on her since I was 19, Red there used to be my pride and joy."

" _Used_ to be?" Ryou asked, right before Shiro even got the chance to open his mouth.

"Yeah," Keith hummed softly, and Shiro saw his eyes shift down to the little girl nestled into his neck. "Red'll understand though."

* * *

 **I love Keith someone please love him look at how soft he's being!~**

 **Now I know I said that the baby's name will be revealed in this chapter, but then well all this happened lol and to avoid making the chapter too long, well Imma leave that scene for the next installment.**

 **Also, quick note. Ryou calls Shiro "Tashi" at times, because when he was a kid, Ryou couldn't really say Takashi lol, so childhood nickname bitches~**

 **Is my excitement for this visible yet? Anyone wanna fuel this excitement with a comment or two? Pls come talk to me about this AU T^T/**

 **Till next time!~**


	4. What's in a Name

**Name choosing, shouldn't be this intense, and yet here we are.**

* * *

The car ride to Keith's place was… definitely something to say the least. If Keith were to describe it, he would say it was definitively uncomfortable.

Keith hadn't necessarily asked to ride back with the Shirogane twins, but he _had_ refused to let his baby girl go with them alone. After Ryou had finished admiring Red the three men had stood in awkward silence for about seven minutes before Shiro cleared his throat a little too loudly and asked Keith if he would like to catch a ride with them. Keith suspected that Shiro had felt obligated to ask him to carpool with them, and though that thought would have normally upset him, Keith didn't see much of a choice.

While it was true that Keith would rather not get into a strangers car and be forced to participate in the mandatory small talk such situations called for. He also saw no other choice but to accept the invitation if he didn't want to lose sight of the child in his arms. So in the end it came down to either riding with the Shiroganes or taking public transportation. Needless to say that the lesser of two evils easily won his favor.

"So your bike—I mean Red, are you really okay with leaving her here?" Ryou asked glancing at Keith in the rear view mirror as Keith tried to figure out what all the buckles on the baby seat were for.

Keith didn't answer immediately, not until he finally got the last buckle into its lock and made absolutely sure that it was secure. "I don't like leaving her here, no. But she'll make it home."

Keith could tell that Ryou had another question in his mind just as he was sure Shiro shared in his curiosity. But neither of them asked and Keith didn't elaborate. Instead, he gave them directions to his house. And one of the most torturous car rides of his life began.

Keith had almost wished he had Lance there too, if anyone could break through the tension filled mess that was their drive, it would be him.

Somehow though, Keith managed to make it through the fifteen minutes in one piece. The baby remained asleep, and the twins had relaxed some. Shiro and Ryou had whispered back and forth to one another at times, though Keith had no way of knowing what was being said since he didn't speak Japanese.

One they reached the apartment complex, Keith directed them to where Lance usually parked his car. Normally there would be a blue '65 Mustang proudly claiming the space, but Lance had left Blue—Yes, Keith and Lance were aware of how stupidly simple their names were, but it was what felt right—at Allura's while he was away.

Once parking was done, Keith led the way to yet another uncomfortably awkward elevator ride to the 2nd floor and the 3rd door on the right. Keith fiddled with the keys for a second and finally made it back home. And though Keith could feel the warmth of familiarity inside the apartment, it hadn't weighed on him until that moment that he really _did_ miss Lance and his 'welcome homes'.

"Make yourselves at home." Keith glanced over his shoulder as he hung his keys on the designated hook and motioned to the empty living room. "You guys want something to drink? Water, tea, I'mma start a pot of coffee…"

"Tea please." Shiro spoke first as he toed out of his shoes and Ryou hummed weighing his options. "I'll wait for a cup of coffee… it isn't decaf is it?"

Keith snorted, though not rudely, "God no, the last thing I need right now is cafineless coffee. But yeah, pick your tea. Lance is a tea junkie, he keeps a regular stock of almost everything."

Shiro moved over to where Keith pointed to Lance's stash as Ryou took the handle of the baby carrier they had mutually agreed to take with them since she was still sleeping soundly, and moved over to the living room.

The only thing preventing another round of silence between the three of them was the coffee maker as it dutifully worked through making the first batch of coffee. Keith said _first_ because he suspected they would need more than one round despite the fact that it wasn't even noon yet.

After Shiro had gotten his tea, he joined Ryou and Keith in the living room, taking the second seat on the couch and across from Keith, who had taken the spare seat that sat adjacent to the couch.

Normally Keith could deal with the silence and would have preferred it to stretch out as opposed to the other alternative, but this time around it was just picking away at his nerves and causing him to fidget in his seat.

The other two in front of him were not faring any better it seemed, but one of them was at least willing to try to breach the bridge. Unfortunately Ryou was cut off by Keith's phone buzzing in his pocket.

Keith sighed and fished it out, his frown becoming much more noticeable when the name 'Lance' was displayed on his screen, the animated phone underneath his name shaking as if begging Keith to answer.

He was half tempted to decline, but… Keith really needed some normalcy back in his life. Excusing himself, Keith retreated to the Kitchen and answered the phone.

"Aye _Bello!_ How'd it go?" came the immediate question, not even bothering with a greeting, but that was Lance.

Keith glanced at the kitchen entrance and bit back his sigh. He could tell Lance about his news, or he could put it off for later. Keith didn't really like the repercussions the second option would bring, but he also didn't like the thought of telling Lance something so personal over the phone. Not to mention that Lance was totally the type of person to drop his entire vacation and run back home at the slightest bit of alarming news. Keith wanted Lance to enjoy the vacation that he and Allura deserved.

"It went okay." Keith said carefully, leaning against the counter and breathing in the scent of coffee, relaxing himself slightly.

"Well that's good." Keith appreciated that Lance didn't throw an ' _I told you so'_ his way. But he could feel that there was something Lance was holding back on. Keith had known Lance long enough to know when his best friend wanted to ask a question.

"It wasn't about her, okay." Keith sighed. "And I'm not in any medical danger, I got home in one piece and everything's okay… also." Keith hesitated. He had been mulling over the idea in the car ride home and had decided that he had to make a choice, if not for himself then for his unnamed child.

"I'm gonna take up Kolivan's offer and take the job."

Lance was silent for a single moment, which honestly was an eternity when it came to Lance, but soon the cheer was back in his voice. "Woah, that's cool, and yeah it's a surprise, what made you change your mind?"

Keith shrugged before realizing belatedly that Lance couldn't see him. "I can't be a deadbeat forever, we need the cash and… I'll just do this until I can find another job."

Lance hummed on his end, "Well whatever you decide _Bello_ , I got your back. And—actually hold that thought." There was a laugh, Lance's, and then Allura's. "Sorry Keith gotta let you go, I'll talk to you later okay, make sure to double check the locks, no talking to strangers and _por el amor de dios_ , warm up your food tonight."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Bye Lance, go have fun."

"Always do, bye!"

Keith locked his phone again and held in the urge to call his best friend back and throw away any reservations he held about involving Lance while he was away. Maybe Lance wouldn't know what to do, but he could at least be there for Keith to draw support from.

Keith unlocked his phone once more and hit the dial button. He wasn't going to call Lance, not yet; but he was also not ready to face the situation in the other room just yet. Keith was equal parts stalling and trying to get his bearings before facing the other two in his living room.

Two rings was all it took before someone picked up. "Marmora Repair Shop, this is Axca how can I help you?"

Keith would have preferred that his uncle answered the call but out of the rest of the people employed at the shop, Axca was the one Keith got along with the most. Even if their relationship was mostly built from an shared an unspoken rule of not prying into each other's lives and staying away from small talk.

And it was because of this that Keith didn't bother with a greeting. "Hey Axca, is Kolivan around?"

"He stepped out with Thace not too long ago. I'll tell him to give you a call back." Axca assured Keith and he knew that she now deemed that the end of the conversation.

"Ah wait!" Keith probably said that louder than he had meant to and cleared his throat. "I mean, its okay if he doesn't call me back, I just wanted to ask him if he could pick up Red from Quintessence Labs for me , I can stop by the shop for her later or if he wants to being her home?"

Axca hummed. "Did she break down? I can ask Antok to bring her in."

Keith appreciated her wanting to help, but he also didn't know how to explain why he had left Red behind. And asking Kolivan to take care of his bike also opened up an opportunity for Keith to tell him about his doctor's visit. But that of course required him to sort a few things before hand, which included he deal with the guests that were waiting for his return. "No it's okay. Red's fine, I just had to leave her there, and I'm home now too so it's not like I'm stranded. Just tell Kolivan for me… and also tell him I'll call him later?"

Axca didn't sound convinced but she relented. "I'll let him know."

* * *

Shiro tried to look anywhere but at the car seat off to his left where the sleeping child was—his child.

Instead Shiro busied himself with taking in the space that was home to the man that had brought them there. It was a fair enough sized apartment, and much more spacious than he had first thought. The walls were painted a soft sky blue, only broken here and there with framed pictures and other wall decorations. There were two clashing motifs to the decorations, on one side Shiro could see the clear fondness of the ocean, and the other was the sky; more specifically the stars.

Shiro wondered if Keith and his roommate had agreed to arrange the conflicting items until a compromise was met, or if they had coordinated it somehow. Next Shiro's eyes went over the subjects of the picture frames and realized that very few of them featured Keith. There were possibly a handful of them as opposed to other snapshots that depicted a slender man with short brown hair and one of the brightest smiles Shiro had ever seen.

After looking at every picture as best as he could, Shiro focused on the furniture within the room, taking note of how none of it seemed to directly match. He could guess that it was all handed down from either family or friends or from thrift stores the way his had been when he had first moved out. There was a bookshelf made out of maple oak, while the coffee table was less wood and more steel painted in an inky black. The lamp off to his right seemed like something he wouldn't have seen anywhere outside of antique shops, with its wrought iron base and thick lamp shade, complete with a curtain of fringe to serve as a skirt.

Shiro could faintly hear Keith on the other side of the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. He caught snippets of the conversation towards the end, and a quick look to his twin told him that while Shiro had been surveying his surroundings he had been listening attentively.

Silence followed not long after and Shiro took a sip of his peppermint tea, savoring it for as long as he could. Just the scent of the tea was enough to have Shiro relaxing some in the foreign home, but he was still way out of his depths and nowhere near calm.

Keith reappeared before Shiro had to search for something else to focus on, and the anxiety that had slowly been ebbing away returned with full force. There was a pensive line to Keith's brow and a very prominent frown as he set down two cups of coffee on the table, and some sugar and the creamer before Keith reclaimed his seat before them once again.

"Look if you're just saying you'll commit to this because you feel some sense of obligation then just leave." Keith muttered as he worked on his coffee, only bothering to look up at Shiro when his deep set glare was in place.

Shiro was stunned, and it definitely wasn't because he was so unused to people being mean in his direction. Most people tended to like him, or at the very least respect him on some level to where they were civil to him, but Keith… he was outright glaring at Shiro as if Shiro had personally seen to it that Keith had the worst existence possible.

"Excuse me, what?" Shiro could tell that Ryou was just as unprepared for the sudden sharp turn their conversation had taken by the indignation that slipped into his brother's tone.

Keith sighed in what Shiro could only call frustration. "I didn't invite either of you over to fight, okay. But I also meant what I told you back in the office. You don't _have_ to stay with her, so if you're trying to convince yourself into thinking that you _want_ to be part of her life because you feel some sort of obligation, then just don't."

"You say you didn't bring us here to fight, but isn't that just what's going on?" Ryou countered before Shiro could even get a word in edgewise. "And what makes you think Shiro doesn't want to be involved in her life anyway?"

Keith's glare didn't let up, switching between both twins before finally settling on Shiro. "Because he didn't even _try."_

Shiro shrunk away from the heated glare, and the words that he knew all too well were as true as they could be. He hadn't tried, not really. And he still felt no need to even interact with the girl that was his daughter.

As brilliant as Ryou was though. He was still failing to grasp the words being said around him. "Didn't try what? You do realize you're making no sense right?"

Keith didn't let up on his stare. "She's gonna know, you know. That you wont try to hold her, to look at her. Kids aren't as empty headed as people think, and I bet babies aren't either. She's gonna need people there to take care of her because they _want_ to not because they _have_ to. If you're only doing this to ease your conscious or whatever it is you have going on, then you're gonna regret it. And soon she will pick up on that, and—" Keith finally looked away, yet Shiro could hear the unspoken words.

 _She'll know you aren't doing it out of love._

"That's not fair, how do you presume to know what my brother is going through!" Ryou was angry for Shiro. He had always been the easier one to anger out of the two, and the first one to be upset _for_ Shiro.

"Because he isn't denying it." Keith's reply was simple. But it was no less true.

"Has it occurred to you that he's still in shock?" Ryou rebuffed.

"And you think I'm not still reeling from this?" Keith scoffed in return. "And even if he was, he could at _least_ show her some sort of compassion. She's your daughter and _you_ need to decide if _you're_ in or out."

Keith's hard glare was back on Shiro, demanding an answer from him. "I want to be involved."

"Are you sure." though the phrase was a question, Shiro couldn't help but feel the underlying hint of something else within the words.

This time Shiro didn't hesitate. He was sure he wanted to be a father to the little girl, even though his stomach dropped at just the idea of it. "Yes. I want to be her father."

Keith's scowl didn't let up for ages it seemed until he finally relented and sat back in his seat.

"Fine. But remember what we said, there is no walking out." he said, finally breaking his silence. But before either Shirogane could say anything to that, Keith spoke again, "She needs a name."

Somehow, Shiro wasn't expecting that to be Keith's follow up statement. He had been preparing himself to be thoroughly grilled by Keith about what he would do for the baby. But instead he was blindsided by something he too should have been considering but was too screwed up to think too much on.

But at least Keith's eyes weren't burning holes into Shiro's soul anymore.

Ryou seemed to approve of the change in the subject as well, as he rejoined the conversation and spoke for Shiro once again. "Agreed, got any in mind?"

Keith shrugged, momentarily glancing to where she was sleeping. "Not really, but it also doesn't feel right just calling her 'the baby' so I though we should start there."

Ryou nodded, and then rounded to Shiro. "Any ideas, _Aniki_?"

Shiro shifted his gaze over to the sleeping child and shrugged as well. "No. Any of the names I considered before don't really fit her."

Ryou hummed, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by a gruff. "How long?"

Both twins looked to Keith, Ryou's look of confusion matching that of Shiro's. "Excuse me?"

"It's not the first time you've mentioned being in the know about her existence, so how long have you known?" And just like that the tension was back in the room, doubling in intensity if that was even possible.

"I-" Shiro should have known that question would be asked eventually, but again he was finding himself out of his depths. Shiro wasn't usually this lost with words, and people rarely looked at him with such open scrutiny, but this entire situation had his head reeling and taking his composure along with it until he finally managed. "Three days."

The answer was, of course, not met with approval. "Three _days_?! You mean to tell me that you knew about her for three days and didn't even-"

"Woah hey slow down!" Ryou once again came to Shiro's defense, keeping his voice low too as to not wake up the sleeping girl. "Yes, Shiro knew _about_ her. But it wasn't like he was told anything else. For the past three days that he has known he has done nothing but think about her. He hasn't slept well at all and has spent the majority of those three days wondering _if_ he would even get to see her. If you think this was something he had just brushed off the minute he found out, think again. Knowing for him was probably worse than having to find out the day of. So would you kindly _lay off?"_

* * *

Keith was honestly taken aback by Ryou's words and was promptly ashamed at having jumped down Shiro's throat. It wasn't like Keith was angry at Shiro–entirely–he just happened to be the target Keith was dumping his frustration towards.

"Sorry." Keith sighed and eased up on his glare to look down to the pale coffee in his hands, honestly it was more sugar and creamer than coffee, but it was coffee all the same. "You're right I shouldn't have snapped at you, I'm just…" Keith trailed off and shrugged uselessly.

Keith hadn't expected either twin to accept his apology, much less for it to be Shiro "Don't worry about it. I probably would have been upset too if you had more information on this than I did."

And though he said that, Keith couldn't help but think that he wouldn't be that mad at Keith. But then again, what did Keith know about this stranger? Until just a few hours ago Takashi Shirogane was no one to Keith, and now he was the other half of his daughter's life.

"What names did you have in mind?" Keith asked, heading back to what seemed like the more stable topic for them to discuss.

Shiro rose and dropped his shoulders in a helpless shrug. "None that I like now, Emma, Marie, Ayame, Hanami was our mother's name, but… I don't want to make the decision of naming her after our mom."

Keith thought he caught on to what Shiro was implying. And if Keith was right in his presumption, then that meant that Shiro wasn't comfortable with naming the baby after his mom if Keith didn't agree to it. Which, Keith supposed was a nice gesture.

Still, he scrunched up his nose at the list. "I knew an Emma once, she used to lick the glue off of stamps and chew pencils down to the lead, so that's a hard pass. But on the others, I don't know they don't seem to fit her, and naming her after a mom is kind of cliché don't you think?"

Keith had spoken without really thinking too much on the weight of his words and didn't seem to realize that until Shiro gave a light wince and Ryou frowned.

Keith knew when he stepped into the territory of a sore subject and promptly backed out, taking another sip of his sugary coffee to stall for another few seconds of time. Keith was granted five more seconds before he decided to set off another land mine.

"I want you to let me be the one to name her." As soon as his guests registered the meaning to his words, unsurprisingly, Ryou was the first to rise to challenge Keith's claim.

"You can't just ask that! She's just as much Shiro's daughter as she is yours. This should be a mutual decision between you two."

"Yeah, and the surname should have been too." Keith shot back setting the coffee down and crossing his arms in order to make his glare more effective.

"She's getting your family name and Shiro is going to be named as her legal father so I think it's only fair if I get to name her." after a second, Keith added, "Hanami can be her middle name, if that's okay with you."

Ryou, Keith could tell was biting his tongue. But Keith's focus went back to Shiro, who was ultimately the one Keith had to sway in his favor. "I want to be able to give her that at least, a name that we both agree on, but that I pick out."

Shiro looked even more tired than he had before, which Keith honestly thought was an incredible feat in of itself. "He's right Ryou." he finally said as he too sat his cup down on the coffee table that sat between the two parties. "Keith wasn't given a choice on her getting our last name. Middle or first name, mom would have been happy with either one."

There was another pang of guilt on Keith's end, though he was quick to shove it down. Keith chided himself, reminding himself that he had been the one to ask about getting that right in the first place.

"Thank you." Keith murmured and glanced at the sleeping girl, remembering her eyes that were his and yet not.

"I never thought I would have a family of my own." Keith surprised himself with saying that out loud. But it was a thought that he thought was worth pursuing in that moment. "So I never had a plan for any favorite names and junk. But, her eyes reminded me of the night sky, which remind me of stars… so I figure that's a good place to start."

Ryou looked intrigued, and for the first time that Keith had seen, Shiro looked interested in the conversation. "So what? Are you thinking like Sky, Star, Venus, or something?"

"What? No!" Keith scrunched up his nose in distaste, "Nothing that obvious and obnoxious, but when I was ten I got really into stars and galaxies, and one of the names that has stuck with me is Andromeda, we can even call her Andy for short."

"Andromeda Shirogane." Shiro echoed it out as Keith tested the same name mentally. And then, Shiro whispered much more quietly "Andy."

Keith rather liked his choice and though he would be upset if Shiro turned it down, he had already agreed that they would both need to be okay with his choice.

" _Aniki?_ " Ryou was the one to press.

"Mom would have liked it." Shiro said with an indiscernible smile.

And Keith had to frown, because that _wasn't_ a _yes._ "But do _you_ like it?"

"I do, I just thought that… nevermind, yes. Yes I do Keith, the name is perfect." Ryou seemed to know what Shiro was thinking and laid a hand on his twin's shoulder and murmuring something that made Shiro nod.

Keith looked away from them long enough to see Andy smiling in her sleep and in that moment he knew that he had made the right decision.

"So have you bought anything else for her?" Keith asked bringing both pairs of eyes back to him again.

"I have a spare room we started to turn into a nursery. The crib is assembled, we have a good amount of diapers, bottles, formula, bath supplies, and other things." Shiro listed off, much to Keith's growing displeasure. He didn't like the idea of letting Andy leave his and Lance's apartment with the Shirogane twins, especially with Shiro acting so… strange. Keith knew that he didn't _know_ Shiro, but no dad that acted this distant with their kid was getting any points in Keith's book.

"So you're planning on taking her home?"

Shiro looked honestly surprised with the question and Ryou looked mildly annoyed, and Keith dared to think that the more vocal of the twins was beginning to tire of Keith.

"I… that was the plan originally, yes. But…" Shiro shrugged and Ryou looked ready to protest, but Shiro quieted him with a whispered word.

"I have a feeling you'll fight me tooth and nail for her to stay with you." Shiro chuckled, a sound that sounded hollow even to Keith, though he wasn't about to argue with that assumption.

"I have to clear my head anyway." Shiro reasoned without too much conviction in his voice and set his now empty cup on the table before him. "Would you mind if I dropped off a few things for her? I can be back with them in about an hour or so."

Keith wasn't sure if he had to ask Shiro–and by extension, Ryou–to stay in his house longer out of courtesy, but he didn't know what else needed to be asked that couldn't be put off later. Maybe a conversation between Keith and Shiro, not Shiro, Keith, _and_ Ryou.

"Sure, just buzz apartment B-4 and I'll open the door."

The twins left not long after that and Keith couldn't help but feel a rushing sense of relief as he went back to where his daughter was still sleeping soundy. "You and me, Andy. If anything you can always count on me."


End file.
